Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, October 8
If five political fronts were not enough, another alliance had come into being in Bihar even as the election process had started in the state.
The new outfit would be known as Grand Democratic Secular Front. This would be in addition to the five other fronts already in the fray.
The new GDS Front is headed by the president of Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), Upendra Kushwaha, who is also a former minister in the Narendra Modi led NDA government. The other allies include Bahujan Samaj Party of Mayawati, Samajwadi Janata Dal of former union minister Devendra Prasad Yadav and All India Majliese-Intehad ul Musllimeen (AIMIM).
The new combination is aiming to attract Muslims, Yadavs, Dalits and Kushwaha voters, which may affect the prospects of the RJD and JDU. The two parties had identical vote bases as the votes of these groups would split. The new alliance leaders are influential in their respective pockets.
AIMIM President Asauddin Owaisi said Kushwaha would be the chief ministerial candidate of the new alliance.
Addressing a press conference here, Owaisi said his party would contest in 50 constituencies, mostly in the Seeamnchal regions of Purnia, Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar districts with majority population of minorities.
Owaisi accused the JDU national president, Nitish Kumar with having double standards on NRC and NPR and alleged Bihar chief minister has no love for the minorities as he was associated with the BJP.
By projecting Kushwaha, its CM candidate, the new Grand Alliance would work to split the OBC votes which were cornered by JDU till now. Owasisi’s party made an entry into the state assembly earlier when its candidate, Akhtarul Iman was elected from Kishanganj.
The Grand Alliance today released the list of its candidates for 43 constituencies.
The Jan Adhikar Party of Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav leads another front having support of Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
The former union minister and rebel BJP leader, Yashwant Sinha had tried to float Third Front and had covered the entire state during the Lockdown period to know the mood of the people. His front could not take off as his followers joined the mainstream national and regional parties.
